Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

FOCUS: Jurnal of Law is committed to maintaining independence, objectivity, transparency, and integrity throughout the research, peer-review, and editorial decision-making processes. Therefore, authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any interests that may influence or could reasonably be perceived as influencing the objectivity of research and scholarly publication. Conflicts of interest may arise from financial, professional, institutional, academic, or personal relationships related to the research or individuals involved in the publication process.

Authors are required to disclose all relevant potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission and update such disclosures if any changes occur during the editorial process. Research funding sources, institutional support, and the involvement of funding organizations in conducting the research, analyzing findings, and preparing the manuscript must be transparently declared. In legal research, disclosures should also include professional relationships or particular interests that may influence legal interpretations, analyses of legislation, or research conclusions. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must include the following statement: "The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the research and publication of this article."

Reviewers must inform the editors of any potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment. Reviewers must withdraw from the review process if they have personal, professional, academic, or institutional relationships with the authors that may compromise the independence and objectivity of their evaluations. Reviewers are also prohibited from using unpublished information or materials obtained during the peer-review process for personal benefit or the benefit of others.

Editors and the Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining independence throughout manuscript evaluation and publication decisions. Editors who have conflicts of interest involving the authors, their institutions, or the subject matter of the research must not participate in handling or making decisions regarding the relevant manuscripts. Manuscripts submitted by editors, Editorial Board members, or individuals with close relationships to the journal's management must be handled by independent editors and undergo the same peer-review procedures and academic evaluation standards as other submissions.

Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. Instead, such disclosures provide a basis for the Editorial Board of FOCUS: Jurnal of Law to manage the editorial process transparently, fairly, and responsibly. This policy aims to maintain public confidence in the quality and credibility of scholarly publications and ensure that all editorial decisions are based on the academic quality, originality, relevance, and scholarly contribution of manuscripts to the advancement of legal knowledge.